Cattle guards

ABSTRACT

Cattle guards having oppositely disposed pivotal racks, elevatable at the centers where the two racks are adjacent, whereby when the racks are pivotally elevated they present an obstacle to traverse by cattle and horses, and the like. The racks are elevated by weights, the weights being overcome by traverse of the racks by a motor vehicle, or the like, so that the racks are depressed to present a flat surface for passage of the vehicle. After the vehicle has passed the cattle guard, the racks are moved pivotally upward again by the weights.

United States Patent 91 Shivers CATTLE GUARDS [76] Inventor: William E. Shivers, P.O. Box 183,

Centerville, Tex. 75833 [22] Filed: July 8, 1971 [21] App1.N0.: 160,624

[52] US. Cl ..49/131, 49/273 [51] Int. Cl. ..E05f 13/04 [58] Field of Search ..49/131, 132, 133, 134, 267,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 511 March 6, 1973 11/1958 Flathman' .L v ..49/l31 6/1970 Justice ..49/131 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney-Carl B. Fox, Jr.

57 ABSTRACT Cattle guards having oppositely disposedpivo'tal racks, elevatable at the centers where the two racks are adjacent, whereby when the racks are pivotally elevated they present an obstacle to traverse by cattle and h0rses, and the like. The racks are elevated by weights, the weights being overcome by traverse of the racks by a motor vehicle, or the like, so that the racks are depressed to present a flat surface for passage of the vehicle. After the vehicle has passed the cattle guard,

the racks are moved pivotally upward again by the weights.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures CATTLE GUARDS as to installation and maintenance. Ordinarily, cattle guards are pipe racks which are disposed crossways of ditches, so that a space is provided beneath the cattle guard so that it will be effective in preventing the passage of cattle and horses, and the like. A ditch or hole must be dug prior to installation of the cattle guard, if there was no ditch present at the location before installation, and whether there was an existing ditch or a new ditch was dug for purpose of installation of the cattle guard, the ditch must be maintained in depth and uniformity in order for the cattle guard to be entirely effective. If dirt or debris accumulates beneath the cattle guard in the ditch, then cattle may cross the same by placing their feet between the pipes of the rack upon the dirt or other material beneath the rack. Therefore, for satisfactory operation, cattle guards must have a clear space beneath the rack to prevent passage of animals thereo ver.

According to the invention, there are provided two pivotally inclinable pipe racks, which are raised by weights, so that the innermost edges of each of the two racks is elevated, the outside edges of the racks remaining at ground level. When an automotive vehicle passes over the cattle guard, the weight of the vehicle depresses the racks, simultaneously, raising the weights which normally maintain the racks in pivotally inclined positions. After the vehicle has left the cattle guard, the weights reraise the racks to their pivotally inclined positions, so that the cattle guard again becomes effective to prevent traverse of cattle and horses, or other hooved animals. The angular inclinations of the racks, when not depressed by the weight ofa vehicle, provides a clear space beneath each rack whereby the animals may not pass thereover, there being no footing for the animals beneath the racks. The racks are not raised by the weights to sufficiently high elevations that persons may not walk across with the racks in elevated positions, yet the racks are sufficiently elevated to prevent cattle and horsescrossing the cattle guard. Since no ditch or hole in the ground is necessary for installation of the cattle guards, they may be placed at any location upon the ground, wherever the ground is reasonably flat. No maintenance is required in maintaining a ditch or hole clean and of proper and sufficient depth. Therefore, the cattle guards provided according to the invention are entirely satisfactory in use, yet are easily installed and maintained, and are extraordinarily effective.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the description of the preferred embodiment, reference during the description being made to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of an apparatus of preferred form according to the invention, showing the cattle guard in depressed position.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the cattle guard shown in FIG. 1, shown in raised position.

FIGS. 4-6 are enlarged partial cross sectional views taken at lines 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6 of FIG. 2, respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in. detail, a pipe frame is made up of side pipes 10, 11 and end pipes 12, 13.

The ends of pipes 12, 13 are welded against the sides of the ends of pipes 10, 11. Conversely, the end pipes may have the side pipes end welded to their sides. Plural cross pipes 15-18 are welded parallel with the end pipes 12 and 13 beneath side pipes 10 and 11, these being for the purpose of reinforcing and stabilizing the pipe frame. Normally, on installation of the cattle guard, the side and end pipes 10-13 will be laid flushly against the ground, and the cross pipes 15-18 will sink into the ground, not only serving to reinforce and stabilize the pipe frame but additionally to anchor the frame in place upon the ground.

Two pluralities of parallel pipes, 21-25 and 31-35, are each pivotally connected to one of the side pipes. Pipes 21-25 are pivotally connected to side pipe 10, while pipes 31-35 are pivotally connected to pipe 11. Each pipe is connected in this manner as is best shown in FIG. 4, by cutting a V-notch out of each side of the end of the pipe, flattening the pipe, and welding the flattened end to a pipe sleeve 38 which is freely rotatably disposed about one of the side pipes 10 or 1 1.

A plurality of uniformly spaced rack pipes 41-47 are parallely welded beneath pivotal pipes 21-25, and a similar plurality of uniformly spaced rack pipes5l-57 are parallely welded beneath pivotal pipes 31-35. The pipes 21-25 and 41-47, welded together with one set of pipes at right angles to the other, form a cattle guard rack. Similarly, pipes 31-35 and 51-57 form a rack at the other side of the cattle guard. Pipes 47 and 57 are spaced apart similarly as the spacings between the individual pipes of each rack.

At one end of the two pipe racks (see FIG. 6) the inwardly terminal pipes 47, 57 of each rack are connected by link bars 61, 62, respectively, to theinner end of a pipe lever 63. Pipe 63 has at its inner end a downwardly directed tab 65 welded thereto which has a pin or bolt opening therethrough. The upper ends of links 61, 62 are connected at opposite sides of tab 65 by a pin or bolt 67. A weight 68 is connected onto the outer end of pipe lever 63. At the opposite ends of the racks, the other ends of pipes 47, 57 are connected by identical links to tab welded to pipe lever 73 having outer end weight 78.

Pipe lever 63 is pivotally supported at upright pipe standard 91 which is formed by notclhing opposite sides of the standard and flattening the opposite parts of the standard between the notches together. The upper end of the standard is concavely curved at 92.

A U-shaped retainer bar 93 is welded at its ends to each side of the upper end of the standard 91, and passes over pipe lever 63 to retain same upon the upper end of the standard. Similarly, the pipe lever 73 is supported byan identically formed standard 101.

At their lower ends the links 61, 62, and the identical links at the other ends of pipes 47, 57, are pivotally connected to the respective ends of pipes 47, 57 as shown in FIG. 6. A bar is bent to form a loop and passed through an opening in the lower end of the link, and is welded inwardly and outwardly to the upper sidewall of an end of pipe 47 or 57.

The magnitudes of the weights 68, 78, and the lengths of the pipe levers 63, 73 are such that the adjacent inner sides of the two pipe racks are normally elevated as shown in FIG. 3. The weights hold the outer ends of the pipe levers 63, 73 down, and act through the links 61, 62, and the links at the other end, to elevate the inner sides of the two racks to raise the racks pivotally to inclined, angular positions. The weights 68, 78 and pipe levers are selected so that the weight of a vehicle passing over the pipe racks, or either one of them, will simultaneously cause lowering of both racks to horizontal positions, the pipe levers raising the weights 68, 78 to elevated positions. In FIG. 1, the pipe racks are depressed because of the weight of a vehicle having wheel 79. Upon completion of passage of the vehicle over the racks, the weights return to their lower positions, elevating the racks to their angular positions. The weights may be located at any positions along the pipe levers.

With the racks elevated as described, a clear space is provided beneath the racks which prevents traverse thereacross by animals such as cattle and horses. The animals hooves, upon attempting to cross the racks, pass between the spaced rack pipes and find no footing close enough therebeneath to enable them to continue walking. Therefore, the cattle or horses or other animals shy from the racks, the racks thereby providing an efficient and satisfactory cattle guard to prevent their passage. The apparatus may be disposed upon more or less flat ground, or it may be placed across a ditch in the usual manner. That is, the presence of a ditch beneath the cattle guard does not affect its use and effectiveness. But the presence of a hole or ditch beneath the cattle guard is not necessary to its effective operation. The cattle guards provided by this invention, therefore, may be installed and used in virtually any location. The cattle guards are unitary in structure, once fabricated and assembled, so that they may be moved from location to location and put to new or different use.

As will be noted, only one of the pipe lever and weight assemblies is absolutely necessary for proper operation of the cattle guard, but it is found more effective if the pipe levers and weights are employed at both ends of the cattle guard as has been described.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown in the drawings, many modifications thereof may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the invention falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Cattle guard apparatus adapted for installation either on lever ground or across a ditch or trench, comprising an open rectangular frame formed by two longitudinal end members and two longitudinal side members disposed in the same plane and connected at their ends, plural sleeves movably disposed about said side members and uniformly spaced between said end members, an elongate member connected to the upper side of each said sleeve and extending parallel with said end members to the center of said frame, plural parallel elongate cross members connected with uniform spacings to the undersides of said elongate members at each side of said frame to form two racks each pivotally extendin from one of said side members to the center of said rame, said cross members of each said rack being pivotally movable between a position in the plane of said frame members and an elevated angular position thereabove with rotation of said sleeves about said side members, an upstanding post member connected intermediate the length of each said frame end member and spaced from the center of the end member and having an opening therethrough at its upper end in the direction of the frame end member, a pair of elongate levers each freely extending through a said opening of one of said post members and each being pivotally and slidably movable in the opening in a vertical plane above the frame end member, each said lever having at its inner end a pair of pivotal links each extending downwardly and each connected to the inner side of one of said racks and having a weight connected adjacent its other end, said weights resting on the ground and holding said racks angularly elevated, the weight of a sufficiently heavy vehicle passing to upon at least one of said racks causing depression of both of said racks to their positions in the plane of said frame and sliding said levers longitudinally in one direction in said openings and raising said weights, movement of the vehicle off of both said racks enabling said weights to move downwardly to the ground with said levers sliding longitudinallyin the other direction in said openings, said racks when elevated preventing passage thereacross of hooved animals.

2. The combination of claim 1, said frame members and said rack members being pipes. 

1. Cattle guard apparatus adapted for installation either on lever ground or across a ditch or trench, comprising an open rectangular frame formed by two longitudinal end members and two longitudinal side members disposed in the same plane and connected at their ends, plural sleeves movably disposed about said side members and uniformly spaced between said end members, an elongate member connected to the upper side of each said sleeve and extending parallel with said end members to the center of said frame, plural parallel elongate cross members connected with uniform spacings to the undersides of said elongate members at each side of said frame to form two racks each pivotally extending from one of said side members to the center of said frame, said cross members of each said rack being pivotally movable between a position in the plane of said frame members and an elevated angular position thereabove with rotation of said sleeves about said side members, an upstanding post member connected intermediate the length of each said frame end member and spaced from the center of the end member and having an opening therethrough at its upper end in the direction of the frame end member, a pair of elongate levers each freely extending through a said opening of one of said post members and each being pivotally and slidably movable in the opening in a vertical plane above the frame end member, each said lever having at its inner end a pair of pivotal links each extending downwardly and each connected to thE inner side of one of said racks and having a weight connected adjacent its other end, said weights resting on the ground and holding said racks angularly elevated, the weight of a sufficiently heavy vehicle passing to upon at least one of said racks causing depression of both of said racks to their positions in the plane of said frame and sliding said levers longitudinally in one direction in said openings and raising said weights, movement of the vehicle off of both said racks enabling said weights to move downwardly to the ground with said levers sliding longitudinally in the other direction in said openings, said racks when elevated preventing passage thereacross of hooved animals.
 1. Cattle guard apparatus adapted for installation either on lever ground or across a ditch or trench, comprising an open rectangular frame formed by two longitudinal end members and two longitudinal side members disposed in the same plane and connected at their ends, plural sleeves movably disposed about said side members and uniformly spaced between said end members, an elongate member connected to the upper side of each said sleeve and extending parallel with said end members to the center of said frame, plural parallel elongate cross members connected with uniform spacings to the undersides of said elongate members at each side of said frame to form two racks each pivotally extending from one of said side members to the center of said frame, said cross members of each said rack being pivotally movable between a position in the plane of said frame members and an elevated angular position thereabove with rotation of said sleeves about said side members, an upstanding post member connected intermediate the length of each said frame end member and spaced from the center of the end member and having an opening therethrough at its upper end in the direction of the frame end member, a pair of elongate levers each freely extending through a said opening of one of said post members and each being pivotally and slidably movable in the opening in a vertical plane above the frame end member, each said lever having at its inner end a pair of pivotal links each extending downwardly and each connected to thE inner side of one of said racks and having a weight connected adjacent its other end, said weights resting on the ground and holding said racks angularly elevated, the weight of a sufficiently heavy vehicle passing to upon at least one of said racks causing depression of both of said racks to their positions in the plane of said frame and sliding said levers longitudinally in one direction in said openings and raising said weights, movement of the vehicle off of both said racks enabling said weights to move downwardly to the ground with said levers sliding longitudinally in the other direction in said openings, said racks when elevated preventing passage thereacross of hooved animals. 